“There is a tradition of auctioning original works of art donated by artists to raise money for charitable causes. There are many good causes that hold such events. No matter how good the causes, though, I have come to the conclusion that artists must stop donating to every single one of them.” So says, art critic Mat Gleason in his article The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Art Auctions found in a recent post on HuffPost Art & Culture.
Tell you the truth, I’ve done my fair share of donating my art to what I consider worthy causes and sheepishly will admit the to being human and swayed by the compliment of being asked. But the argument Mat makes to stop this devaluation of ones work is compelling. “Half a century of charity art auctions have changed the way collectors buy art. These fundraisers have depressed prices of art across the board and kept artists in a subordinate position that has no career upside or benefits.”
Looking at the arguments on both sides Mat comments…
“The argument against me is simple: Donations of art to charity auctions raise money for good causes and raise the profile of artists who put their art in the public eye. It is a good argument. It has worked well. This seductive sales pitch has pulled in countless millions of dollars over the past few decades.”
“Problem is, this argument has not lived up to its bargain. Sad news: Your profile got humiliated because the collector got such a bargain on your art. If your art was one of dozens of trinkets on a wall with a hundred other artists, your profile actually disappeared there in the crowd anyway.”
The legend of screen star Lana Turner being discovered in a Hollywood drugstore is a great one to be sure. And even though the legend of some artists donation to a charity auction, making way for an “avalanche of success” has yet to be documented, the chances of this promise coming true seem slim.
So respect your art by thanking the requestor for an art donation very much for the compliment, but consider a monetary donation instead. Besides, unlike your art donation, a cash donations is fully tax deductible!
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